The present invention relates to an air-conditioning register that changes the direction in which air-conditioning air is blown into a passenger compartment through an outlet after having been supplied from an air conditioner and blocks the flow of air.
Vehicles have air-conditioning registers, which change the direction in which air-conditioning air is blown into a passenger compartment through an outlet after having been supplied from an air conditioner and block the flow of the air. Such an air-conditioning register typically includes a retainer having an airflow passage for air-conditioning air and an outlet, which is located at the downstream end of the flow direction of the air-conditioning air. An air-direction changing member, which changes the flow direction of the air-conditioning air, is arranged in the retainer. In the retainer, a manipulating member, which is manipulated by a vehicle occupant to operate the air-direction changing member, is arranged on the air-direction changing member (see, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2013-116650).
Another type of air-conditioning register, in which the manipulating member is arranged at a position spaced from the air-direction changing member, such as a position outside the retainer, has also been proposed (see, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-318439).
Recently, from the ornamental standpoint, there are demands that the outlet be made hard to see without hampering the essential function of the air-conditioning register.
However, conventional air-conditioning registers are not designed from the aforementioned standpoint and the outlet is arranged at a position visible to vehicle occupants. It is thus difficult to satisfy the above-described demands.